Your FREE OSHA 10 Flashcards 2026 – 100+ Cards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration; created by the OSH Act of 1970 to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women.

The federal law that created OSHA; its central purpose is to assure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards.

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, requiring employers to keep the workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm when no specific standard applies.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; a research agency (part of CDC) that studies hazards and recommends standards but does not enforce them.

A worker's right to be informed about the hazards (especially chemical) in their workplace, through labels, Safety Data Sheets, and training.

A hazard that could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately; OSHA's highest inspection priority.

In order: imminent danger, fatalities and catastrophes, worker complaints and referrals, then programmed (targeted) inspections.

OSHA protection that prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who file complaints or otherwise exercise their safety and health rights.

A worker's right to file a safety complaint with OSHA and request that their name not be revealed to the employer.

The 'Job Safety and Health: It's the Law' poster that employers must display where workers can see it, summarizing rights and responsibilities.

A state-run occupational safety program that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA; covers private and state/local government workers.

A written notice OSHA issues after an inspection finds a violation; it describes the violation, any penalty, and an abatement (correction) date.

The correction of a cited hazard by the deadline OSHA sets in the citation.

The start of an OSHA inspection where the compliance officer explains the reason for the inspection and its scope.

The right of an employer representative and a worker representative to accompany the OSHA compliance officer during the inspection.

A free, confidential OSHA service (separate from enforcement) that helps mainly small employers find and fix hazards without issuing citations.

OSHA recognition for workplaces with exemplary safety and health management systems that go beyond compliance.

OSHA's voluntary training (10- and 30-hour courses) that teaches hazard recognition and worker rights; it is education, not an enforcement action.

Both are Outreach courses; the 10-hour is entry-level awareness for workers, while the 30-hour is more in-depth for supervisors and those with safety responsibility.

Provide a safe workplace, comply with standards, furnish required PPE (usually free), train workers in a language they understand, keep records, and post the OSHA poster.

Follow the employer's safety rules and standards, use provided PPE properly, and report hazards and injuries; OSHA mainly cites employers, not workers.

A hazard the employer knows about or that is generally known in the industry; the basis for a General Duty Clause citation.

The public process OSHA must follow to set a new standard, including publishing a proposal and allowing notice and public comment.

Employer-provided, exposure-related medical examinations required by certain OSHA standards, at no cost to the worker.

The four leading causes of construction deaths: falls, struck-by, caught-in/between, and electrocution.

The single leading cause of construction deaths; controlled by guardrails, safety net systems, and personal fall arrest at 6 feet.

Being hit by falling, flying, swinging, or rolling objects; controlled with toeboards, barricades, hard hats, and high-visibility clothing.

Being caught, crushed, or pinched between objects, such as trench cave-ins or unguarded machinery; controlled with protective systems and guarding.

Fall protection is required at 6 feet or more above a lower level in construction (29 CFR 1926.501).

Fall protection is required at 4 feet or more above a lower level in general industry (29 CFR 1910.28).

A system that stops a fall using a full-body harness, a shock-absorbing lanyard or self-retracting lifeline, and an anchorage.

A deceleration device that extends to dissipate fall energy, reducing the arresting force transmitted to the worker's body.

The secure point a personal fall arrest system connects to; for fall arrest it must support at least 5,000 pounds per attached worker.

A passive fall protection barrier with a top rail (~42 in ±3 in), a midrail, and a toeboard around open-sided floors and platforms.

The top rail of a standard guardrail is about 42 inches above the walking surface (plus or minus 3 inches) and must resist a 200-pound force.

The low barrier along the bottom of a guardrail that keeps tools, materials, and debris from falling off the edge onto people below.

Nets rigged beneath the work to catch a falling worker where guardrails and tie-off points are impractical, such as across open spans.

A secured, marked cover over a floor or roof opening that prevents falls through holes and struck-by hazards from objects falling through.

Floors, aisles, platforms, and similar surfaces; good housekeeping keeps them clean, dry, and clutter-free to prevent slips, trips, and falls.

Keeping walkways clear of wet floors, spills, and loose clutter; the most direct control for slip, trip, and fall hazards.

Common injuries caused by wet or cluttered walking surfaces; controlled through housekeeping, drainage, and good walking-surface maintenance.

Temporary elevated work platforms that must be fully planked, capable of supporting their load, and protected against falls and falling objects.

Death from electrical contact with live wires, overhead power lines, or faulty equipment; one of the construction Focus Four hazards.

A ground-fault circuit interrupter that shuts off power in a fraction of a second when it senses current leaking to ground through a person.

An unintended path of current to ground, such as through a worker's body; what a GFCI is designed to detect and interrupt.

Providing a low-resistance path that carries fault current safely to ground so an equipment housing does not become energized and shock a worker.

The wire (third prong) that bonds a tool's metal housing to ground so a fault trips the circuit instead of energizing the housing.

The explosive release of heat and energy from an electrical fault between conductors; guarded against with approach boundaries and arc-rated PPE.

A defined distance around energized electrical parts that limits how close unprotected and qualified workers may get.

A major electrocution hazard; workers and equipment must maintain a safe clearance distance from energized lines.

An OSHA-allowed alternative to GFCI protection that requires regular inspection and testing of cords and equipment grounding on construction sites.

A worker trained and knowledgeable in the construction and operation of electrical equipment and the hazards involved.

Personal protective equipment worn as a barrier between the worker and a hazard; the last line of defense in the hierarchy of controls.

Ranks hazard controls most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE.

The most effective control — physically removing the hazard from the workplace entirely.

Controls that isolate people from a hazard by physical means, such as guards, ventilation, GFCIs, and guardrails.

Controls that change how people work — training, job rotation, safe-work procedures, and warning signs.

The employer's required first step before selecting PPE: surveying the job to determine what hazards are present and what protection is needed.

OSHA rule that the employer must generally provide required PPE at no cost to workers, with narrow exceptions like ordinary safety-toe footwear.

Head protection against impact and falling objects; certain classes also provide dielectric (electrical) protection.

Eye protection against flying particles; side shields close the gap so particles cannot enter from the side.

Add-ons to safety glasses that guard against flying particles entering the eye from the side rather than the front.

Eye protection that forms a tight seal against the face to keep liquid chemical splashes out.

Face protection worn over primary eye protection; alone it protects the face but does not seal the eyes.

Eye and face protection with a proper shade filter that blocks the intense visible and ultraviolet light of welding.

Earplugs or earmuffs worn above the noise action level; high noise can cause permanent, irreversible hearing loss.

Respiratory protection that filters or supplies clean air; used when engineering controls cannot reduce airborne exposure enough.

The written program required for respirator use, including medical evaluation, fit testing, training, and proper cleaning and storage.

A test that confirms a tight-fitting respirator seals properly to a worker's face so contaminated air cannot leak in around it.

Hand protection whose material resists cutting; matched to hazards like handling sharp sheet metal.

Gloves made of a material that blocks a specific chemical from permeating and reaching the skin.

Foot protection with a reinforced toe that shields against impact and compression from dropped or rolling loads.

Reflective, brightly colored PPE that makes workers more visible to drivers and equipment operators, especially in low light.

Checking equipment before each use for damage, wear, or defects so unsafe gear (e.g., a frayed harness) is removed from service.

The exposure level at which an employer must begin a hearing conservation program and provide hearing protection.

A hard hat rated to resist conducting electricity to the head, required when working near energized parts.

29 CFR 1910.1200; gives workers the right to know about chemical hazards through a written program, labels, SDSs, and training.

Short name for the Hazard Communication Standard, aligned with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS).

The international system for classifying and labeling chemicals that OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard is aligned with.

A standardized 16-section document with detailed information on a hazardous chemical's hazards, handling, storage, and emergency measures.

Every SDS follows the same 16-section order, so first-aid, firefighting, and other information appear in the same numbered section on any sheet.

A standardized red-diamond symbol on a chemical label that conveys a hazard at a glance; OSHA's HazCom requires eight of them.

The word 'Danger' (more severe) or 'Warning' (less severe) on a GHS label indicating the relative level of hazard.

Required label on a hazardous chemical container with a product identifier, signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, and pictograms.

Workplace containers (like a spray bottle) must be labeled with the chemical's identity and hazards unless the immediate-use exemption applies.

A HazCom exception: a secondary container does not need a full label only if it stays under the control of, and is used up by, the worker who filled it that shift.

An employer's required plan describing how labels, SDSs, and training are used to inform workers about chemical hazards.

A chemical that can intensify a fire by supplying oxygen; shown by a flame-over-circle GHS pictogram.

A continuous, unobstructed path to a place of safety; must be unlocked from the inside and adequately marked.

A plan covering how to report emergencies, evacuation procedures and routes, and accounting for employees after evacuation.

A plan that identifies fire hazards and controls fuel and ignition sources to keep fires from starting (distinct from an EAP).

The fire extinguisher technique: Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side.

For ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, and cloth.

For flammable liquids and gases such as gasoline, oil, and solvents.

For fires in energized electrical equipment.

For combustible metals such as magnesium and titanium.

For cooking oils and fats, used in commercial kitchens.

The part of an EAP describing how and where workers exit and how they are accounted for after leaving the building.

An adequately lit, marked sign that identifies an exit route; a burned-out exit sign violates exit-route requirements.

The control of hazardous energy: isolating, locking, and verifying zero energy before servicing equipment so it cannot start unexpectedly.

Each authorized worker's own lock on the energy-isolation device; the machine cannot be re-energized until every worker removes their own lock.

A device (such as a disconnect or valve) that physically blocks the transmission or release of energy, secured during lockout/tagout.

The verified condition in which all hazardous energy has been isolated and released before maintenance begins.

A space large enough to enter, with limited entry/exit, not designed for continuous occupancy, that holds a serious hazard like a dangerous atmosphere.

Testing a confined space for oxygen level, flammable gases, and toxic gases before and during entry.

A worker stationed outside who monitors entrants and summons rescue without entering, so they do not become a victim themselves.

Air with too little oxygen to support life; a leading killer in confined spaces and a reason atmospheres are tested before entry.

Barriers and devices that keep a worker's body out of dangerous machine areas to prevent amputations and lacerations.

The area of a machine where it actually cuts, shapes, or forms material; guarding here prevents contact with the cutting action.

An in-running area where two rotating parts (or a rotating and stationary part) meet and can catch and pull in a hand, clothing, or hair.

Treating all human blood and certain body fluids as if they are infectious, regardless of the source person's apparent health.

Infectious microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease; controlled with universal precautions and engineered sharps protections.

A puncture-resistant container for disposing of used needles and other sharps to prevent needlestick injuries.

After a stick: wash the area, report the exposure, and seek medical follow-up; never recap needles by hand or place them in regular trash.

Fitting the task to the worker to reduce musculoskeletal disorders by limiting awkward postures, repetitive motion, and overhead reaching.

An injury to muscles, nerves, tendons, or joints from strain, awkward postures, or repetitive motion; reduced by ergonomic controls.

An ergonomic device or method (or positioning items at waist height) that reduces bending and reaching to lower lifting strain.

Stacking and securing loads so they are stable and will not slide, fall, or collapse; a key control for struck-by and caught-in injuries.

Separating chemicals that react dangerously together — for example, keeping oxidizers away from flammables — to prevent fires and reactions.

Substances that pose physical or health hazards; controlled through labeling, separation of incompatibles, and proper storage and handling.

Stored or live energy (electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal) that lockout/tagout controls during servicing.